He was trying to change MO’N’s anti football style with a more modern one and he was trying to do it with MO’N’s players. Towards the end of that season we were starting to play some very good stuff as he started to bring his own signings in. But then he had a coronary.
Houllier wasn't thinking long term at all. Not about us anyway. Maybe his pension pot. He was in no rush to take the job in the first instance, had little interest in the youth or academy players and gave the air of pure O'Leary smug mode reminiscing about his old club pretty much from the outset. Every day in the job he was doing us a favour. At least O'Leary gave us that promising first year. Darren Bent was signed at his peak for a club record fee and the players Houllier had lined up in the summer were closer to the age group O'Neill was tapping up. The money he burned through for pretty average players at Liverpool should give some indication what he was about. He was blessed with two natural talents in Gerrard and Owen coming through at roughly the same time and Carragher and Fowler as good as anything in the country to offset the El Haddj Diouf/ Cisse and other shite deals. He had Gabby, James Collins and Dicky Dunne's number pretty early on, so I'd credit him for that and little else.
Quote from: KevinGage on June 30, 2020, 11:40:31 PMHoullier wasn't thinking long term at all. Not about us anyway. Maybe his pension pot. He was in no rush to take the job in the first instance, had little interest in the youth or academy players and gave the air of pure O'Leary smug mode reminiscing about his old club pretty much from the outset. Every day in the job he was doing us a favour. At least O'Leary gave us that promising first year. Darren Bent was signed at his peak for a club record fee and the players Houllier had lined up in the summer were closer to the age group O'Neill was tapping up. The money he burned through for pretty average players at Liverpool should give some indication what he was about. He was blessed with two natural talents in Gerrard and Owen coming through at roughly the same time and Carragher and Fowler as good as anything in the country to offset the El Haddj Diouf/ Cisse and other shite deals. He had Gabby, James Collins and Dicky Dunne's number pretty early on, so I'd credit him for that and little else. The players he signed in January were Darren Bent (25), Michael Bradley (23), Jean Makoun (26) plus the 18 year old French lad whose name escapes me who failed the medical. He took the job as soon as he was able and gave plenty of opportunities to youth players. From January onwards, once the injury list had cleared up our form was top six.
Quote from: RamboandBruno on June 30, 2020, 10:57:43 PMQuote from: rougegorge on June 30, 2020, 07:46:00 PMQuote from: N'ZMAV on June 30, 2020, 06:12:26 PMSmith was the right appointment at the time. Same as MON was, similar to BFR and Brian Little. Things just don't work out sometimes...In hindsight, Smith turned out to be a good choice to get us up, but at the time of the appointment he wasn't an obvious choice; other than Brentford played some good football some of the time (notably against us) and he was a Villa fan.His credentials and results, whilst very respectable for the clubs concerned, weren't screaming out and weren't particularly progressive :Walsall League 12012 - 19th2013 - 9th2014 - 13th2015 - 14th2015-16 started season well Brentford Championship2016 - 9th2017- 10th2018 - 9th Overall, it would seem thus far, he's had just the one outstanding season as a manager.Even so, I was hoping for something better this season.Being totally pedantic here and no bearing on the smith in or out debate, but didn’t he get Walsall to the play offs one season? I’m sure they lost to Barnsley in the league one semis, same year they got to a cup final and lost.It was a cup game. I went. They were shit. Got thrashed 4-0 I think.
Quote from: rougegorge on June 30, 2020, 07:46:00 PMQuote from: N'ZMAV on June 30, 2020, 06:12:26 PMSmith was the right appointment at the time. Same as MON was, similar to BFR and Brian Little. Things just don't work out sometimes...In hindsight, Smith turned out to be a good choice to get us up, but at the time of the appointment he wasn't an obvious choice; other than Brentford played some good football some of the time (notably against us) and he was a Villa fan.His credentials and results, whilst very respectable for the clubs concerned, weren't screaming out and weren't particularly progressive :Walsall League 12012 - 19th2013 - 9th2014 - 13th2015 - 14th2015-16 started season well Brentford Championship2016 - 9th2017- 10th2018 - 9th Overall, it would seem thus far, he's had just the one outstanding season as a manager.Even so, I was hoping for something better this season.Being totally pedantic here and no bearing on the smith in or out debate, but didn’t he get Walsall to the play offs one season? I’m sure they lost to Barnsley in the league one semis, same year they got to a cup final and lost.
Quote from: N'ZMAV on June 30, 2020, 06:12:26 PMSmith was the right appointment at the time. Same as MON was, similar to BFR and Brian Little. Things just don't work out sometimes...In hindsight, Smith turned out to be a good choice to get us up, but at the time of the appointment he wasn't an obvious choice; other than Brentford played some good football some of the time (notably against us) and he was a Villa fan.His credentials and results, whilst very respectable for the clubs concerned, weren't screaming out and weren't particularly progressive :Walsall League 12012 - 19th2013 - 9th2014 - 13th2015 - 14th2015-16 started season well Brentford Championship2016 - 9th2017- 10th2018 - 9th Overall, it would seem thus far, he's had just the one outstanding season as a manager.Even so, I was hoping for something better this season.
Smith was the right appointment at the time. Same as MON was, similar to BFR and Brian Little. Things just don't work out sometimes...
Houllier wasn't thinking long term at all. Not about us anyway. Maybe his pension pot. He was in no rush to take the job in the first instance, had little interest in the youth or academy players and gave the air of pure O'Leary smug mode reminiscing about his old club pretty much from the outset. Every day in the job he was doing us a favour. At least O'Leary gave us that promising first year. Darren Bent was signed at his peak for a club record fee and the players Houllier had lined up in the summer were closer to the age group O'Neill was tapping up. The money he burned through for pretty average players at Liverpool should give some indication what he was about. He was blessed with two natural talents in Gerrard and Owen coming through at roughly the same time and Carragher and Fowler as good as anything in the country to offset the El Haddj Diouf/ Cisse and other shite deals. He didn't have that luxury with us, so I don't see how it could have worked based purely on his own deals. He had Gabby, James Collins and Dicky Dunne's number pretty early on, so I'd credit him for that and little else.